1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing the skins of bulbs, such as onion, garlic and scallion.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example of the conventional bulbar skin removing apparatuses, one disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-294772 is schematically shown in FIG. 8.
A pair of rollers R1 and R2 is rotatably mounted on a base B in a manner such that these rollers R1 and R2 are disposed in parallel with each other leaving a certain clearance therebetween. These rollers R1 and R2 are driven by an appropriate drive means to rotate in the same direction. A plurality of jet nozzles Ju and Jd are provided respectively at upper and lower sides of these rollers R1 and R2 at regular intervals along the axial directions of these rollers R1 and R2, facing these rollers R1 and R2. An upper air pipe Pu and a lower air pipe Pd supply these plural jet nozzles Ju and Jd with air to be jetted against onions riding on the paired rollers R1 and R2.
Onions with their skins having a number of slits previously made by cutters are supplied onto the paired rollers R1 and R2. The onions, riding on both the rollers R1 and R2, are rotated in the direction reverse to the rotating direction of the rollers R1 and R2, exposed to the air jetted from the plural upper and lower jet nozzles Ju and Jd, and transferred by a carrier S along the axial direction of the rollers R1 and R2 (that is, in the direction perpendicular to the surface of FIG. 8). The skin of each onion is removed by receiving the air jetted from the jet nozzles Ju and Jd. The surface area of an onion exposed to the blow of jetted air varies continuously as the onion is kept rotated constantly.
The carrier S has a base end Sb fixed to an endless belt (a chain) travelling along an elliptic track provided on a horizontal plane. The main body of the carrier S extends horizontally from its base end Sb, leaving its distal end free.
However, the above-described skin removing apparatus sometimes causes the removed bulbar skins to be blown off above the pair of rollers R1 and R2 due to the compressed air jetted upward from the lower jet nozzles Ju. Furthermore, the endless belt such as a chain, travelling along the elliptic track on the horizontal plane, supports the base end Sb of the horizontally extending carrier S in a cantilever manner. Therefore, angular moment of the carrier S acts on the base end Sb of the carrier S and the chain supporting the base end Sb, causing the chain to be twisted. For these reasons, with the above conventional skin removing apparatus, it is difficult to smoothly cause the bulbs such as onions to be transferred direction while rotating them on a pair of rollers.